Blight launched from Svartis almost at once, chasing the wisp that Bone had summoned. It didn't go very far, of course, but he went after it anyway, dipping and dodging this way and that as if to fight it, somehow.

The dragon hatchling grasped that his family was going to fight, though he wasn't picking up the finer details. He knew they wanted to beat up the thing that had harmed Svartis, though. Although he'd felt fear in his life, Blight had never known pain, so he was perhaps more flippant than he should have been when he declared, "I'll fight, too!"

The hatchling paused, and focused, looking around, for a moment. Then he turned away from the rest, and in a perfect parody of a dragon breathing flame, extended his neck and blew empty breath--or so it seemed--into the air. This breath, though, was magically-charged and full of foul bacteria; probably enough to give someone a real bad stomachache and a few hours off alone with their last meal. "SICK," he told them, very proudly, turning to stare back at his family.

Bug flicked her point-tipped tail, and flapped up a little, herself. Seeing Blight chase the wisp was... quite frankly, adorable, and she--being just out of kittenhood herself--wanted to play, a little, too. She tried to conjure up a wisp of her own, to send it off for Blight to chase--after he was done pretending to be a proper dragon, that was.

It came out as a big, strong, flashing wisp, the same color as Bone's, and she turned to the rest after creating it.

"I know I'm small," she offered, at length. "I still might be able to help? Maybe as bait. But I can watch the tunnel entrance for now, at least. We shouldn't leave it unguarded!" These were probably Bug's very first actually useful words in her entire life, and she sort of made up for it by nearly falling out of the air as she bobbed toward Blight with her wisp.

Dread grunted his assent, after a long moment's thought.

"Bug can watch the tunnel, yes... and maybe you can freeze a place down lower. The plants are from cats living down there. We protect them, they give us shinies," he explained, though he honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd seen one of them, or demanded payment. "A deer wants to eat them." Dread could also, apparently, not quite remember the details of their arrangement.

Ah, well.

"I will watch the tunnel myself, too. We will sleep when one watches. Stay high," he added, in warning.

Blight's little "dragon's breath" had, as far as Dread knew, been only air. He peered at the child, quizzically. "You can't make fire because you are sick?" It... made sense, he supposed, what with all the ragged fins and pale pigment, but it was disappointing, nonetheless.

Dread looked to Asimona. "Will you stay? If they want you too, it is bad to be alone."

@Asimona

Asimona narrowed her eyes, thinking. She knew how much boiling steam could hurt - if this "Alpha" could take it in stride then they would have a hard time taking it down, not even speaking of Vargas or whatever other spawn he had around. "This will be dangerous, even with all of us fighting," she commented, although she was sure they all understood already. there was also the matter of freezing a corner of Monoceros. At first, she doubted she could, but she was young when she'd frozen that corner of Pisces. She was stronger now and she had Svartis to help her. She glanced up at her son, giving him a soft smile. "I'll stay. We'll find a good spot close by to freeze up so its more comfortable."

She looked over at Bone and was looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, I think so too. When I ran the Trials, there were gembounds with strange names that hatched from chrysalis right before we went in. They talked like they were ancient, like they were from a totally different time. I think that's where Vargas is from as well. They probably see the world in a totally different way then us." She remembered the little Garnet, who had been perfectly content with being a little slave if it meant its survival was guaranteed, not willing to stand up for its own freedom, even if it was right in front of it.

She stared at Blight for a moment, confused by what he'd just done, but his proud announcement had her thinking if the failed breath hadn't failed at all. "No," she chuckled towards Dread, "I think he means that's his magic. Maybe he doesn't breathe fire but sickness. That's an interesting ability." She wondered how useful that would be in a face-paced battle settling, but she supposed that they'd just have to see how it worked out. She didn't have the authority to tell the child to stay in or out of the battle, if Svartis had been the one to take him under his wing, then he could make that call.

"Thank you, Bug," she said kindly, trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of this little cat-dragon nearly knocking itself from the air, doing her best to fit in among this family of giant dragons. "I'm sure the tunnel will be well guarded."

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Svartis

Svartis nodded - the gorge was a good idea. Cooler air settled, and shade might be more available. Ice would be easier to maintain in the cover of darkness and away from the blasting heat the cavern's vents provided. His head bowed another time, more from the sheer force of Blight launching after his sister's wisp. A smile twisted the black dragon's snout, but he looked back to the rest of the adults again. "Alpha seems to think we still live in that time," he grunted dryly, and then whipped his head around -

"Blight -" but how could he deny the dragonet the right to fend off monsters from the family. Surely he'd be grown some more by the time they were ready to kill those beasts, almighty in their magics of the elements. Svartis just gave the little one a brief smile, and laughed gently - if awkwardly - as Blight crowed about "SICK!" The black dragon swung his head, explaining lightly, "no - he... makes you sick with his magic. So far, it's sneezing. Very strong sneezing." Who knew what that could ramp up to?

A guard rotation seemed smart, until then. He'd practice his magic so he could watch better - and for the aforementioned reasons.

Appetite seeming to crawl back, Svartis nosed through a less... sludgy looking deer and nixed the step of looking like he was eating politely; just crunched it once and swallowed it nearly-whole. Food in his stomach, he twisted to look at his mother, nodding, "we could go now? Get us settled in... perhaps meet the... neighbors?" If there were cats in the canyon, they should at least make good acquaintances, right?

@Bone

Bone looked to her brother, white to black, fire to ice--such opposites, but the warmth and regard that she held for her brother was clear in that brief, admiring gaze.

"We could," she agreed, muted enthusiasm in her tone. "Just need to be careful not to scare them half to death." And amusement, there. She didn't know much about their neighbors. She'd seen a small black thing, similarly-winged, fleeing her shadow from time to time but she wasn't entirely sure it wasn't just a feathered bat of some kind. Other than that, she only vaguely knew that there were Gembound here in hiding.

White wings spread, and she rose up with powerful thuds into the air. Bone then looked down, expectantly, at her family.

Bug lifted off, too, eyes sparking (metaphorically, anyway) with excitement.

"I'm coming with you! -Can I come?!" she cried, first excited, then giving in to the whole "politeness" thing. Dad didn't demand much, but "thank you" was important and Bug had extended this to asking permission and saying please, even though he'd never explicitly mentioned these.

But she definitely wanted to come, and she hoped they wouldn't leave her behind! "If you want, I can go ahead-? I don't think they'll be scared of me," she added.

Blight dutifully lifted off, too, blinking bright eyes, seeming to smile as he joined his family in their slow ascent into the air. Gradually they were picking up off the ground, and he was glad to have a group to belong to, now.

He hadn't much liked being alone, after Umbra! Unlike Bug, he did not speak, neither to express enthusiasm nor to ask permission; he was just happy to be a part of it (and didn't want to speak up in case they told him, for whatever reason, that he couldn't come). He was hopeful, though, that they wouldn't!

Everyone living in one cave, together? It would be so much fun!

He shook himself, spines rattling, and responded to exactly no one. It seemed to be decided, and he was content with that; he didn't answer as to plans, or whether Bug should go first, or--anything, really.

Dread was a creature of action, not brain.

He shoved off, a powerful leap and a flap of wings taking him into the air, far more graceful and practiced than Bone's heavy movements; a few beats and then he was gliding, soaring toward the Gorge not far off.

Apparently, yes, they would go now. Or, at least, Dread was; and he seemed to assume they would all follow. It had been their idea, after all.

A few swift wingbeats further and he passed twice over the Gorge's canyon, peering down; he could see the little grove where it had spread along the banks, sprouting new trees and green growth, dotted with glittering lights (and he immediately wanted those). But there were no Gembound immediately in sight, and so he circled back and dipped down, into the canyon, wings tightened in so as not to tear against the walls of the ravine.

Taloned feet struck stone and he rocked forward, landing on his wings, and then peered around.

"WHITE CAT. WHERE ARE YOU? WE HAVE TO SPEAK!" he demanded, shaking himself again, blinking. And then, as an afterthought: "ALSO, YOU OWE ME SHINIES."

At least, he thought Mercurius did. Dread wasn't all that great at counting the passing of days.

@Asimona @Svartis (and if you guys wanna slap any KoE in feel free!)

exit dread

Now seemed to be the best time to go.

Bone stared at him, and Svartis stared back - just so they could share a contented, loving cat slow-blink moment. Perfect opposites, yet so full of love and adoration for one another. They were the best pair of siblings the caves have ever seen: he the fire extinguisher and she the ice melter.

His eyes traced the path of Blight, making sure the little one was steady in the air before rising slowly after him, and trailing Dread to the gorge beneath their feet. "Maybe we should go one at a time - ?" he called over the wind, even though he was already alighting behind his father. This ravine was about to get much more crowded with five - no, six dragons suddenly in it.

So much for not spooking the neighbors.

exit svartis hehehe
@Asimona @Bone